Dark sky's bright for Kejimkujik Park

The sunny Nova Scotia weather forecast is expected to bring out a lot of last-minute campers to Kejimkujik National Park this weekend.

A new special status this year will recognize the park's a great place to be at night, too.

"It's going to be designated as a dark sky preserve," said park superintendent Harry Delong.

"It has to do with the ability of people to use the park for stargazing, and it's actually one of the places in Nova Scotia that is very best for this activity given the dark conditions that exist through most of the park," he said.

According to the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, a dark sky preserve is a site with "very dark skies and virtually no sky glow on the horizon." There are at least 10 such designated sites in Canada.

"The sky is part of the environment," Dave Chapman of the Royal Astronomical Society said in November. "We're familiar with clean water and clean air, and we always forget about the sky."

Looking ahead to the July long weekend, Delong said the park will be opening 63 serviced campsites, which campers have requested.